I want to say a big thank you to you and your team for making her feel so welcome. Her attitude to school has changed so much, as has her health. From MY CHILD's point of view she is much happier in school, when asked she says that it is a great place to be, and that she feels like all the teachers are kind, they are fair, and actually seem that they like children!! (Which speaks volumes!) 

We have appreciated:

• A very warm welcome from not only the staff but also the children.
• All the staff members are so helpful and approachable, there is a real before and after school presence - the fact that CLASS TEACHER is always outside after school and so happy to be approached, and also that you as the Head are very visible in the playground make me feel very reassured that if I had any questions or problems then I know where to go. 
• The staff members really seem to care about the children’s well being and are so friendly and approachable to the children. 
• The work is interesting and appears at a level that is challenging but not outside of comfort zones. Some of the projects (such as the French Cafe & beach schools) seem lots of fun but also bringing lots of learning elements together in an engaging manner. 
• School communications are good as are social media posts. 
• Plenty of sports and extra curricular activities to get involved with. 

I cannot express enough appreciation for everything Bishopston has done for us since we moved our child from ANOTHER SCHOOL in October. We have observed a remarkable transformation in his attitude, educational standards, and eagerness to learn. HIS TEACHER has been an exceptional and patient teacher, consistently addressing my queries promptly and very effectively.

We are genuinely happy here, and we feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to be part of your school community. 

Additionally, I would like to express my enthusiasm for the parent workday initiative. It was a wonderful experience for me, and I would be more than willing to participate in similar activities in the future.

Bishopston Primary School provides an excellent environment for my child's academic and social-emotional progression.  Since joining the School my daughter has thrived developmentally and is a happier, more confident person.  There is a strong  emphasis on learning outcomes, coupled with a nurturing and engaging classroom environment that is tailored to suit a wide range of individual needs and abilities.  The School is particularly inclusive, with well-established ALN support programmes and effective strategies for social and physical well-being that are delivered on a daily or weekly basis.  The staff (who are approachable, accessible and maintain open communication with parents) are responsive in real-time, mitigating the risk of any social issues degenerating.  Overall, there is a positive and proactive culture, designed to equip the children with key academic and life-skills, that serves as an outstanding foundation for secondary education.  

The School actively welcomes parental involvement in school life, frequently creating opportunities to  particulate in reading or school trips and strengthening ties with the community. Furthermore, the outdoor learning programme delivers a wealth of benefits, utilising the local woodland and beaches to deliver fun, curriculum based activities.  

The first thing everyone says about Bishopston is how relaxed and friendly it is. We certainly found this. The  relaxed uniform makes it easier for my child to get dressed in the morning and reduces her anxiety about getting dressed and allows her to enjoy her day at school more. It also signifies the priorities of the school to me, which is the well being of the children and an understanding that supporting emotional and mental health supports the child's learning and development. 

The focus on outdoor learning, forest school, beach days all encourage learning new skills and in new environments. It demonstrates the school's holistic approach and your understanding that learning doesn't have to take place in the classroom. For my child, this type of learning is more effective than much of the class room based learning.

The school provides unique learning situations, such as running a pop up Bistro and thanks to the knowledge and teaching skills of the school staff, they use this to teach a variety of skills in real life situations including maths and ICT. My daughter learns so well this way. 

Like many young people unfortunately, my daughter experiences anxiety around school and demands in the class room. It is a testament to the professionalism and knowledge of the teachers that they can use so many different teaching methods which achieve great outcomes for the pupils while supporting the children's well being.

My daughter has specifically told me that Brain Break in the afternoon enables her to concentrate and work better in the afternoon than at her previous school which didn't have an afternoon break. I feel this is an example of how well the school understands the needs of children and supports these to create a successful learning environment.

The school staff and head teacher are very friendly and approachable and have always been helpful and supportive when I have had concerns. 

Since she started at Bishopston my daughter has grown in confidence and independence. We have seen this in her attitude to school and in her activities outside school. The school has encouraged her to be an independent learner, to have confidence in her own abilities and to be happy to try new things.

I have to say it has been the best decision i have made to move my daughter to Bishopston Primary School.

The communication at the School has been excellent with timely emails and reminders in the homework book.

The teacher responds to my emails very quickly and where there have been a few  minor issues he has dealt with them efficiently and promptly and communicates very clearly.

I like the fact the homework is varied and once a week - with plenty of time for my daughter to do the homework which gives her time to enjoy her after school activities. 

The work they are given is high quality also and its so useful that the children have access to so many different apps for Maths and English and Welsh.

I am very impressed that my daughter has settled into the School very quickly and has made lots of friends also in different year groups. She now has a much wider circle of friends. She also loves the fact she is now learning some Welsh  - and I am impressed and how quickly she has picked up the Welsh words and phrases which she uses at home.

She also now enjoys reading more - and even reads when we are out and about - which is great to see. She also shows interest in doing her homework.

We’re very happy with Bishopston especially when comparing your school to our child's old school. In all aspects from communication between the teachers and us, to the way in which he's taught. The parent’s evenings are more frequent, and the learnings better structured and adaptable. I mention adaptable because NAME has dyslexia and this is seen as less of a disability. Your teachers are able to adapt teaching techniques so that he understands the work set and has a go at it within the normal classroom setting. This was something his previous school couldn’t do. We’ve noticed a huge increase in our child’s confidence in such a short space of time. In particular, his comprehension and handwritings improved and there’s more of a focus on important subjects such as maths. His previous school would only teach maths once a week and wouldn’t set any homework. Having homework is beneficial for us as it enables me to support and encourage him in his schoolwork also gauging where he’s at.

The beach days are also an excellent idea and great for making the school day fun. Outdoor learning makes a huge difference to his attitude to school, he gets a lot from it and looks forward to the variation. The active culture of the school has encouraged him to participate in extra curricular sports activities such as rugby and football. Also the focus on drama at Christmas time encouraged him to tap into his creative side and we’ve since had him belting out tunes and performing to us on a weekly basis at home. Again, there was not much focus on this at his old school, we were impressed by the time and effort put into the Christmas concert.

I can even comment on your yard design! It’s open and doesn’t feel locked in which encourages positivity surrounding his time at school. All in all I feel your school sets the bar higher which is a good thing in helping to prepare for secondary school.

We cant think of any improvements other than maybe open from 7am - 7pm 😂 

Without doubt the strengths of your school are kindness by the bucket-load, and perspective on what's important for a well-rounded education.

• Encouragement to stretch themselves, without excess pressure. 
• Allowing them to be themselves, true to their personality type, not to be something they're not. 
• Patience. Understanding when they're tired or struggling. 
• Acknowledging that kids need regular breaks, and encouraging an extra afternoon 'brain break', which was missing from the previous school. 
• Encouraging sensible amounts of good quality work, rather than setting unachievably high volumes of tasks with short deadlines - which only causes stress and results in rushed, sloppy work. 
• Never threatening that break times will be missed if those tasks are not finished.
• Making learning fun and the environment safe, with the result that she gives her best, unafraid to make mistakes and happy to experiment. 

I feel that my child is in 'safe' hands when I send her into school. I can trust the teachers' decisions for her safety, health and education.  Moving to Bishopston Primary was the best decision we could have made.

I am writing to thank you for all the support you have given my daughter since she started at your school in February.

She is so much more confident and independent now she is at Bishopston. The relaxed approach, the outdoor learning and your curriculum really suit her. She has a lot of anxiety.  However, she left for her week residential with no anxiety. She has joined a local club too, without knowing anyone, with no anxiety. She is much calmer and independent at homework now as well.

I think the school’s approach to learning reduces her anxiety and so allows her to work at her best instead of just panicking about demands on her. In her opinion, the only lesson she does each day is maths and then she ‘just does different activities and records her learning in different ways’. I know she is learning because she tells me all about what she has leaned at school but she does not feel under pressure at school which makes all the difference.

We moved from London and worried the transition would be difficult but I can say the opposite is true. 

My children have thrived. Some points to note:

- the children have more autonomy in their learning

-there is more freedom in the playground to explore/ create/ let imaginations run wild. We particularly enjoyed seeing the straw bales, branches and a picnic table turned into a pirate ship - how wonderful to see that there is no restrictions on play while also ensuring safety. It's humbling to see a school getting the mix so right. I've worked in environments where children's play is too structured. 

-the school is the hub of the village and we particularly enjoy activities that involve the community

-outdoor learning has really helped our children engage with school life

-there's loads of opportunities for parents to be involved with their child's learning through workshops, invites to school to browse their books and school performances (I particularly enjoyed my little ones nursery sing and walk through the playground at Christmas)

-staff are approachable, welcoming and helpful 

My children are incredibly happy and we appreciate how well they have settled. This is clearly due to the positive environment you and your staff have created

We are delighted with Bishopston primary school. We moved our children out of another Swansea school, to relocate to Bishopston. We were very apprehensive about changing schools, as the kids were very happy in their old school. But we have had no regrets, the school has exceeded our expectations, in every way.

To start with, Mr Owen (the head) and all the staff we have encountered, have been very friendly, welcoming and approachable. The school provides a sense of community where you can regularly chat to teachers, staff and other parents. The school drop off and pick up is a real privilege, with such a lovely community. It has given us a sense of belonging in such a short time. There are numerous opportunities to get involved supporting the school as a parent, which further enhances the sense of community.

The school communication has been excellent, in person, via seesaw and with regular updates, in a Friday newsletter. This allows us to be organised and get dates in the diary early, so we have advance notice of the planned school activities.

The school offers a large variety of clubs available for the kids to join, both in school time and after school, including sports, arts, language, computer, gardening club and many more.

The kids have really enjoyed participating in different clubs and have even had the opportunity to play in tournaments for the school in football and perform to the public as part of a choir. With so many activities on offer at school, it takes the pressure off us finding clubs and activities outside of school. The kids are both looking forward to upcoming residentials, again school providing additional opportunities for learning and fun.

The children have had opportunities to perform to the public, to a very high standard: singing at the harvest festival, performing for the choir and participating in the fantastic Christmas production which was brilliantly directed and choreographed by talented teachers and assistants.

The parent teacher association are always busy organising events and ways to raise money for the school. Which means the kids have fun events and activities to look forward to and participate in. There have been discos, lantern parades, cake sales and many more to come.

School held an excellent presentation for parents on the design of the new curriculum and their vision for learning. I loved how the school has environmentally themed the different phases and made the values very accessible for children with the dragons. I was also very impressed that the school have ensured that the curriculum is age appropriate, as a paediatric occupational therapist I have seen this is not always the case. The school is very proactive in supporting parents often inviting parents in to attend information sessions and coffee mornings with different guest speakers to support parenting. 

The school is beautifully located with lots of outdoor green space, allowing for forest school and brilliant play time fun. There is also a climbing frame and playground which the kids love.

We are very grateful for the school for making the transition to Bishopston primary school an easy one and seeing how our children are thriving and loving learning in Bishopston Primary school. I would highly recommend the school to anyone considering going there.

I asked my daughter yesterday to think and answer honestly: what she likes about school, what’s good and what might need improvement (as compared to her previous school in Carmarthen).

So, she said she really likes:

1)    Her new friends – every day she has a new story about her new “besties”)) and how many kids want to help and be friends to her…

2)    School territory – she loves much space and the playground

3)    Pupil division – she’s appreciating much younger pupils have their own building and territory, and it’s not so noisy as it used to be in the other place

4)    Classroom equipment and decorations – she says the atmosphere in the classrooms is very nice, with lots of useful information and materials inside

5)    A school day – she’s enjoying all the subjects, the assembly (especially different lectures from the external providers, like with the firefighters:)), and her free time for different activities at the end, like knitting

6)    The canteen and all the tasty food she can choose from

What’s not so good – nothing:) she could not come up with a thing!

Thank you so much for this! And also please pass my sincere thanks to the teachers, there is nothing better for a mom than seeing her child safe and happy at school!

We are foster carers for the young boy  that is part of  your school. We have had lots of experience of different schools around Swansea and outside the area. We have received a very warm welcome by the staff at Bishopston primary. We are amazed at the progress our boy has made and how well he settle at Bishopston primary. The staff are simply Amazing , we are so happy he was given a placement at the specialist teaching facility.

"Dear Mr Owen and the team

Thank you to you all for being so wonderful.  You inspire our children, enthuse and praise them, nurture their talents, help mould them into good, kind human beings who care for themselves, each other, our community, our planet.  You pay attention to detail exquisitely well, and it's the little things that make the big differences.  Above all, you're kind and you care about the children as individuals.  It's very apparent to me.  We travel much further to school now. I would travel even further for an education that's so special.  Its lovely to be a part of the school."

"Feedback from the children is that the teachers are kind, the other children are nice and they like the playground (which their old school did not have). 

From a parents perspective, I’ve found the staff to be friendly and welcoming and there is a lovely relaxed atmosphere at the school. School drop offs and pick ups are less stressful than at the children’s last school where it was chaotic and parents had to queue on the street until the teachers allowed parents in. The community seems really lovely and the school frequently does activities with the children such as trips to the beach, cinema, etc. It is really positive that the school offers so many clubs and encourages sports, music and other activities. I love the fact that the children are allowed to eat outside when the weather is nice and this is indicative of the relaxed atmosphere."

"We have found the overall sense of community at Bishopston Primary to be wonderful. The pupils have been quick to welcome our children and the other parents are very proactive and inclusive here too. This is aided by the class What’s app groups, which are not necessarily the norm elsewhere and prove to be a very useful means of communication. Bishopston also has by far the most active HSA we have experienced, it seems the school benefits greatly from their efforts, both financially and also from the sense of community involvement it generates.

The outdoor environment at Bishopston is superb, the ethos and enthusiasm for outdoor learning is a real credit to the school. The integration of Welsh language into day to day activities is another strength, our children have picked up so much already.

The Seesaw communication with class teachers really is excellent, all three of our class teachers are very quick to respond."

"Teachers are great and seem to be on point with current methods and don't seem afraid to make changes and try new ideas. It feels like a very fresh and modern approach to teaching! Loving the extras, added variety , inclusivity, e.g  Mad Science workshop, use of reading eggs, the school play, using makaton, providing forest school and the teachers attitude and the facilities for teaching outdoors.  The outdoor space is an absolute winner and we know the children are loving this and benefitting from it physically and no doubt mentally.  Overall the school approach feels fresh and modern. It has a willingness to learn and try new ideas, listen and involve parents creating a real sense of community! We are very impressed and feel the school is in a different league to be honest!"

"We absolutely love the school and the girls have settled much quicker than we had thought they would.  Compared to the previous school it has such a lovely community feel and the HSA [PTA] go over and above to put on events that will not only raise money but provide fun for the kids. Recently we have been really impressed with the ‘show your work’ day and parents phonics session. We love that the children have regular forest school sessions both in and out of school. The teaching has also been impressive, both the girls appear to be progressing well. I particularly love ‘the marvellous mistakes’ strategy and the attention  paid to the children’s well-being, by teaching them skills to support them in the future."

"We absolutely love the school. It has a real community feel. The activities and events organised in liaison with the school are great. All the Teaching staff that we have interacted with have been welcoming and warm, including the office manager. The Head is very approachable and passionate.  The communication between Teacher and parent is fantastic."

"Our son was diagnosed with severe verbal dyspraxia as a toddler and offered a placement in a specialist teaching facility (STF) some 17 miles away from where we lived, for starting school. So we decided it was in our interests as a family to move - but where to? Online research led us to Bishopston Primary School, which has an STF for speech & communication needs but also offers excellent mainstream schooling. Because of the pandemic, we were unable to visit properly but took a risk and applied anyway, moving to Swansea. It was a big gamble for us because we'd homeschooled our three children for a year-and-a-half. Needless to say, it was an excellent choice. All three children have settled in quickly and we really appreciate the academic rigour, care and attention, and positive impact of the headmaster and school staff. As a family we take our Christian faith seriously, and we've also appreciated teaching staff being respectful of that. Bishopston is an extremely friendly and positive community, and we are reassured that the children are being given the best opportunity to grow in all aspects of their learning."

“Our experience of joining the school has been excellent. It has an entirely different feel than the previous school which my children had attended since nursery. We’ve still had an amazing welcome. I knew from the first time I made contact that coming to your school was the right thing for my children. I found the headteacher and the other staff really approachable and welcoming, and it was great to look around and be introduced to the class teachers before my children joined. This meant I was able to talk to them about the teaching and learning environment and they wanted to come and see for themselves.

The backdrop to starting at the school was also difficult. My son was in isolation so could not join as scheduled, so my daughter started first. She was immediately approached and welcomed by the children in the playground when we arrived on the first morning. My son’s class class teacher made contact via Seesaw and some of the children made videos to welcome him. His teacher also asked if he wanted words in the school play which she then provided for him to learn before he started. On the first day, he was welcomed by his teacher and some of the children in the playground. He’s fairly shy but came home every day (he was only in for 4 days before the early Christmas break) with lots to tell about new friendships. Every effort was made to welcome them both to the school and this resulted in a fantastic experience for them both.

During the lockdown, I was really impressed with how the teachers managed home learning and delivered a mix of contact and learning which is reasonable in volume and complexity.

The class teachers are incredibly accessible and friendly, I have no concerns about giving feedback or asking questions. They demonstrate a real warmth towards both children and parents.”

We were delighted to have so many positive comments regarding our provision through lockdown. Here are a few of them…

“You have an amazing team, planning fantastic activities for the pupils with supportive and motivating feedback and go way over and above in all that they do. The genuine care and support that they give to our children is truly outstanding and very much appreciated.”

“The online learning is challenging keeping both our children engaged however having the daily check ins really helps them to be uplifted and focused.  TEACHER is always bubbly and joyful and works hard to keep the children engaged without them feeling overwhelmed.  Fantastic ideas such as naming days - thoughtful Thursday etc.”

“I just wanted to say how impressed we are with the online learning that TEACHER has been providing. The flexibility to offer more frequent sessions in a day has really helped CHILD participate more in online lessons. We have also been really grateful for the quick feedback or ability to answer any queries easily. They have a lovely way with all the children and shows such interest in everything they show and tell before the lessons starts.”

“I want to extend my thanks to TEACHER and team for all their hard work. I was so impressed with the clever attention to detail with regards to pupil wellbeing. The film of the pupils was so lovely, It brought a quiet tear to the eye!  It’s so vitally important to underpin new approaches to the curriculum with a clear vision and a strong school and community based ethic, really well done.”

“I have thanked TEACHER but I wanted to let you know how fantastic they are and the nursery team have been with the home schooling. I had a bit of a meltdown, due to overwhelm and inadequacy last week and TEACHER has supported me and helped me to realise that together we can do this and I’m feeling a lot happier. They are doing way over and above I feel and am so grateful to her and wanted you to know. The effort they have put in is phenomenal.”

“You’re doing a fantastic job ,and so are all Bishopston staff.  Thank you ALL”

“Thank you all so, so much. We are sincerely grateful for everyone’s efforts here.”

“I want to thank everyone in the school, think you are doing a fab job”